Fig. 6

Codes of the category Usability (n = 12). Usability is not well defined in the field of WR [61], but in this category we grouped codes related to the interaction between the users and the technology that determine the outcome of its use. All but one e-SCI (83.33%) expressed their desire to use these devices more frequently, which is directly related to the limited accessibility that exoskeletons currently have. This was not mentioned by clinicians or n-SCI, most likely because the latter have not experienced this issue, since they have never used the technologies. Both e-SCI and clinicians agreed on the importance of the training process, which few n-SCI thought about during the interview. Likewise, patients and clinicians agreed on the relevance of having technologies that are compatible with all the clinical symptoms of the neurological injuries they are aimed for, and on having devices with gait patterns that avoid functional compensations, are natural, and allow the users to feel the connection with the machine. Some codes are related to the safety of the device: having the fall risk and device failure under control and providing a safety perception. The clinicians also highlighted the importance of the devices being easy to use by them and of allowing patients to use their hands while walking or standing. Regarding this last code, even though patients did not explicitly say it, various of the activities they expect to do with exoskeletons imply being able to use their hands freely. About the physical exertion caused by the devices, patients expressed that the energy needed to use the device at the beginning is very high but that after learning to use it, they expect to (n-SCI) and actually require (e-SCI) less effort to walk when compared to non-assisted walking. No new codes arose regarding usability